I have a ring that turns my finger green when I wear it. What causes this and is it a health risk?

Answers

Silver, copper and gold jewelry often do this, especially to people with a naturally high acidity level in their skin. Don’t worry though, it is not poisonous in small doses. It usually comes from the oxidation of the metal, or in some cases from an allergic reaction to the alloys used to make the metal more flexible. If you still want to wear the ring, I wouldn’t be too worried about it, but I would just suggest finding a different ring.

This usually happens with sterling silver rings and, to a lesser extent, gold rings that contain copper. As greendainard mentioned, this is the result of oxidation of the metal, which means the metal reacts to oxygen. These reactions, sometimes mixing with sweat from the skin, can leave a green or black ring on your finger. However, you do not need to stop wearing the ring as there are quick fixes that you can try.

One method is to coat the inside band of the ring with a layer of clear nail polish. This prevents the metal from reacting with your skin and should be able to solve the problem. You can always reapply the polish when it wears away.

You can also apply some anti-perspirant on your finger where the ring will make contact. This will prevent the area from sweating and thus keep it from reacting with the metal.

More methods can be found here. There doesn’t seem to be any health risks associated with this, but it’s probably safer to wear the ring less if the problem persists.

It’s an impure blend of metals, meaning only that instead of pure gold or silver, it probably contains another form of metal, such as copper. This will not hurt you, unless you’re already allergic to one of the metals in the ring. If you want to prevent the reaction, look for rings made of a single type of metal, such as platinum or steel.